


Breaking the Cycle

by Otter_Love_ASL



Series: Awarenesses One-Shots [6]
Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Domestic Violence awareness, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otter_Love_ASL/pseuds/Otter_Love_ASL
Summary: Hailey opens up to Jay about her past after a text from her brother brings back some unwanted memories. Trigger Warning: Mentions of past domestic violence. "Awareness One-Shot". October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton
Series: Awarenesses One-Shots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917124
Kudos: 16





	Breaking the Cycle

"Hailey," Jay calls trying to gain his partner's attention. "Earth to Hailey?" Jay tries again.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Hailey questions looking up from her phone.

"Everything okay?" Jay asks. "You've been staring at your phone for the last five minutes. I mean just staring."

"Yeah, my brother just texted me," Hailey answers.

"Everything okay?" Jay questions concerned.

"Yeah, just… family stuff," Hailey answers.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No. I don't want to drag you into my family problems," Hailey declines.

"You wouldn't be dragging me into your family problems. Isn't this what partners are for? Besides, you didn't back down when I was dealing with my dad," Jay reminds her.

"This is more than not getting along," Hailey tells him.

"Hailey," Jay whispers.

Hailey sighs, "I need something stronger than beer if we're going to be talking about my family," Hailey tells him.

Jay nods and gets up to his cabinet and grabs a bottle of tequila, pouring a glass for each of them. Jay goes back to the couch and hands a glass to Hailey.

Hailey takes the glass and quickly drinks the contents. "Um, it's more than just not getting along with my dad. He- he would get drunk, usually start around noon, and he wasn't exactly a nice drunk," Hailey gives a bitter laugh. "The smallest things would piss him off. My brothers and I were just kids- we wanted to play. But we were too loud, so he'd hit us. Sometimes my mom would try to stop him, but that usually lead to him hitting her. My brothers would try to protect us, but that would make him mad and that usually made the beating worse."

Jay's heart breaks hearing this, thinking back to how he accused her of having 'Daddy Issues'. "Hailey," he whispers, his eyes showing the regret and guilt he still holds for blowing up on her almost two years ago.

Hailey sees this and grabs his hand, "It's okay. You didn't know."

"It's not okay. I hurt you. I didn't have to physically hurt you, I'm so sorry," he apologizes.

"You're right, it's not okay," Hailey responds knowing she can't change his mind. "But I forgave you a long time ago. I know you were hurting when you said it."

"But that's not an excuse."

"Jay, I know that you would never intentionally hurt someone."

Jay is quiet for a moment before asking, "Why did your brother texting you make you freeze?"

"It's my parents' anniversary this weekend and he wants to know if I'm going to see them."

"He still talks to them?"

"They both do. My mom never left and my brothers forgave my dad. They think I should too, but I'm not getting dragged back into that life. I've tried to help her leave, but every time she refuses."

"This is why it was like you knew what it was like for Michelle?"

"Yeah, after a while you learn when you should act."

"No one should know that."

"But it's part of some people's lives. Until they leave, but the thing is, most never do."

"How was it not personal for you?"

"Because going through that as a child, I know that you can't force someone to leave, they have to want to. I can only help if she wanted help."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't all bad. And when we got older, we learned what not to do. It just made me know that I want to break the cycle. I want to know that my kids can be kids without the fear of being hit. That I don't have to be the perfect wife to not be hit."

"You deserve better than that."

"You're a good man, Jay Halstead."

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the US.
> 
> Statistics on Domestic Violence in the US:
> 
> \+ National Statistics
> 
> \- On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
> 
> \- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, PTSD, use of victim service, contraction of STDs
> 
> * 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing) and in some cases might not be considered "domestic violence"
> 
> *1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner.
> 
> * 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. Data unavailable on male victims.
> 
> \- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime
> 
> \- 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
> 
> -On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
> 
> \- The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
> 
> \- Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
> 
> -Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner.
> 
> -19% of domestic violence involves a weapon.
> 
> \- Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.
> 
> -Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
> 
> \+ Rape
> 
> \- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime.
> 
> \- Almost half of female (46.7%) and male (44.9%) victims of rape in the United States were raped by an acquaintance. Of these, 45.4% of female rape victims and 29% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate partner.
> 
> \+ Stalking
> 
> \- 19.3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime. 60.8% of female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.
> 
> \+ Homicide
> 
> \- A study of intimate partner homicides found that 20% of victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but family members, friends, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders, or bystanders.
> 
> \- 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female.
> 
> \+ Children & Domestic Violence
> 
> \- 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.
> 
> \+ Economic Impact
> 
> \- Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of 8.0 million days of paid work each year.
> 
> \- The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.3 billion per year.
> 
> \- Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.
> 
> \- Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were murdered in their workplace by their abuser, 78% of women killed in the workplace during this timeframe.
> 
> \+ Physical/Mental Impact
> 
> \- Women abused by their intimate partners are more vulnerable to contracting HIV or other STI's due to forced intercourse or prolonged exposure to stress.
> 
> -Studies suggest that there is a relationship between intimate partner violence and depression and suicidal behavior.
> 
> \- Physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health effects have been linked with intimate partner violence including adolescent pregnancy, unintended pregnancy in general, miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine hemorrhage, nutritional deficiency, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, disability, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Victims of domestic violence are also at higher risk for developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.


End file.
